Paige was out of town for a girls weekend and I did not want to sit at home all weekend so we ventured out for our first Daddy Daughter camping trip.
We headed out Friday night after dropping Paige at the airport and made our way to Holcomb Valley just north of Big Bear CA. We did not have much of a plan for the weekend, just enjoy the outdoors.
Holcomb Valley was fairly cold for a little one, running about 27 degrees. Hunter and I battled all night. I would put socks and a blanket on her, she would kick the blankets off and remove the socks all while never fully waking up. I eventually realized that I was not going to win the battle which meant a long night for me. She slept great, while I was up all night worried that she was cold and trying to keep her warm.
I had posted up a general invitation to friends and family on facebook, and as it turned out, my Uncle had just gotten a new to him truck and he wanted to see what it was capable of on the trail and was planning a day trip to Big Bear.
After breakfast at one of my favorite places we headed out for the day and put the new rig through it’s paces on the trails around Big Bear. We did not push the truck to the limits, but we did push it.
By the midday Saturday, I was getting a bit tired and the thought of another losing battle with the blankets made heading to the warmer temperatures of the desert below an easy choice. It also meant that we could have a campfire.
We kept our camp simple only getting out the necessities, the small tent for Hunter to play in, the washer drum fire ring, and a chair.
I have always tried to keep camp as simple as possible, and this experience has shown me it is something I need to continue to strive for. Every time I tried to do anything, or read a few sentences of a book there was an escape attempt, and she is getting more mobile which means the attempts will only get more successful.
Even with the extra work, it was an awesome weekend and I can’t wait for future Daddy Daughter camping trips.
She gets faster at escaping every day. Brave daddy!